It's hard to put your finger on it, but there's something about a real wood floor that just brings a room together.

All the beautiful things which make up your home are somehow even more so. And surprisingly, your not-so-beautiful furnishings are transformed as well. (And let's face it, we don't all have decorator-perfect homes.) Maybe it's the old sofa which suddenly takes on a relaxed charm. The inherited end table which is now quaint, not clunky. Or the favourite arm chair, surprisingly now endowed with extraordinary character.

In a sense, the power of wood floors extends well beyond the realm of decor. If you believe that beauty holds sway over the mind, it's not hard to imagine a wood floor as the foundation of your personal sanctuary - a calming influence far away from such worldly concerns as early-morning meetings, traffic jams and obsessive bosses.

While we can't claim to be a remedy for everything life brings, there is one thing we can say with certainty. A real wood floor can make your home look good.